My kind of Cookies and Cream

My youngest son received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time tonight. As with all other sacraments, it was, of course, very special.

Being a school day, we didn't plan any big celebration. In fact, we had to rush and eat a quick dinner as we had to be at church before 7:00 pm. But, we did have cake afterwards.

A Cookies and Cream cake.



The way I did this is a bit different from my other version. Because I had very little time on my hands this morning, I decided to combine the crushed cookies with the whole batch of frosting. The end result might not look as fancy but does it really matter?

The frosting looks just like it's ice cream counterpart!

I only made a small 8" cake because, believe it or not, we are not big cake eaters. (The cakes you see here are usually not for us). When we do have cake, I usually give away some slices to friends just so it would be finished while still fresh. If not, the cake would stay for days in our fridge. This Cookies and Cream one proved to be different though.

As soon as we arrived home, everyone immediately started lining up to get a slice. And we nearly finished the whole thing in one go. It was very light on the tummy, just the right sweetness, delicious. One of my sons later said of the three remaining slices, "Mom, don't give this away, ok?"

I've been asked to share this recipe long before. Thanks for patiently waiting. Here it is. Enjoy!

COOKIES AND CREAM CAKE (recipe suitable for an 8" round, 3" high pan)

Chocolate Chiffon cake

Ingredients:
A}
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coffee powder *optional
1/3 cup sugar

B}
4 egg yolks (from large eggs, room temperature)
1/4 cup canola or corn oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

{C}
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

{D}
1/2 cup sugar

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. In a large bowl, combine {A} well. Add in {B}. Beat with electric mixer or by hand until smooth and well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, beat {C} on high speed until frothy. Gradually add in the sugar {D} and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Gradually and gently fold in egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Pour batter into an ungreased 8” round, 3” high pan.
4. Bake for about 50 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan into wire rack immediately and cool completely.
5. To release cake from pan, carefully run a thin knife around sides of pan and invert onto your cake board or plate.

**Just a note: This cake is very light and not as chocolatey as you might prefer so feel free to use your favourite chocolate cake recipe instead!

Cookies and Cream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g cream cheese (1/2 bar)
about 15 Oreo cookies

1. Remove the cream center from 4-5 cookies then crush the cookies in a food processor. (It's up to you if you want your crumbs to be coarse or fine. I prefer them to be quite fine so I can pipe out my frosting). Set aside.
2. On a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Set aside.
3. Using chilled bowl and beaters, beat the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks. Carefully fold in the cream cheese then beat mixture on high speed for a few seconds or just until everything is combined. Do not overbeat.
3. Lastly, fold in the crushed cookies. The frosting should look much like cookies and cream ice cream. The tiny crumbs should still be quite distinct from the whipped cream.

Another note: I actually made a full batch of this recipe (double the amounts given here) but had a lot of leftover after I was done frosting the cake. If you are a whipped cream frosting lover, you might consider making the full batch.

To assemble cake:
Slice cake horizontally into 2 equal layers. Invert cake top such that the cut side is facing up. Spread a generous amount of frosting then top with the remaining cake layer, cut side down. Use remaining frosting to cover the entire cake surface. Pipe out borders if desired and top with remaining Oreo cookies.

To make a larger 10" cake, just double the recipe.

As always, if you ever get to try this cake recipe, I would be very glad to know how it turned out for you. Feel free to email me for questions and also, to send me photos of your cakes! Happy baking!